


Slow Dancing

by Xennariel



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-13 00:24:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7954891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xennariel/pseuds/Xennariel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A week after the Promised Day, Roy is surprised to see Riza at Fuhrer Grumman's inauguration party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slow Dancing

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt request for aheartmadefullmetal16 on Tumblr. I have a hard time writing people dancing for some reason...

24\. Slow Dancing

Fuhrer Grumman’s inauguration ball was so ridiculously extravagant and glamorous that the newly promoted Brigadier General Mustang was loathe to attend. It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle the affair, as he was well versed in dealing with high class gatherings, schmoozing his way through it all, but just because he knew how to handle it, and handle it well, didn’t mean he enjoyed it.

And so he stood near one of the tables in the center of the room, surrounded by other officers and their wives, putting on a fake smile and pretending he cared about their unimportant small talk. He might have been a Brigadier General now, but that didn’t mean he could become lax in his game to reach the top. Ever since Dr. Marcoh gave him his sight back, he pursued his goal with renewed fervor. Grumman would never give up the title of fuhrer so long as he was capable of coherent thought. Roy knew he would have to pry the position from the old man’s cold dead hands and that meant that, even though he had Grumman’s favor, he still had to work to reach the top. Grumman would never just hand out the position freely.

Speaking of the old man, it was his own gala, but he hadn’t yet made an appearance. Grumman was probably held up talking to some women, Roy mused, knowing the man could never turn down a chat with a lovely lady. His position as fuhrer would probably only make that habit worse.

As Roy suspected, Fuhrer Grumman entered the room a few minutes later with a very lovely lady on his arm. In fact, she was so lovely, Roy had to do a double take. He would recognize that pretty face anywhere. 

Riza Hawkeye was holding Grumman’s arm lightly as he escorted her into the room. She had not returned to active duty yet and was not in her uniform like the rest of the female officers in attendance. Instead, she was wearing a dress Roy had never seen before, and he knew it must have been new because he was sure he’d seen her in every dress she owned. The floor length lilac colored gown had a high neck and cap sleeves. Her hair was tied into a loose braid and a string of pearls adorned her wrist. If anyone asked Roy what he thought, he would immediately say she looked absolutely radiant. 

But then realization dawned on him and he frowned. She had still been in the hospital the day before. Why hadn’t he been informed of her release? It had only been a week since the Promised Day, shouldn’t she still be resting? He was suddenly annoyed with Grumman for bringing her when she should have been recuperating, and he excused himself from the group of people surrounding him. 

Roy would have stomped over to Grumman and Riza had he been anywhere else, but instead he walked briskly to them, trying to act like he wasn’t upset. 

“Ah, Mustang! Glad to see you’re here,” Grumman said, grinning widely.

“Good evening, Fuhrer,” Roy said, returning the old man’s grin with a smile that was mostly forced. “I’d like to talk to my lieu...captain for a moment please.”

“Of course, of course, I need to greet my guests anyway, you two have a good time.”

Grumman pat Riza’s hand and was gone before either of them could utter another word. 

Roy’s overprotective side wanted him to find out what exactly Riza was doing there, but his love for the woman standing in front of him won out and he blurted out compliments instead.

“You look wonderful tonight,” he said, gaze softening as their eyes met.

“Thank you sir,” Riza replied, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

“But, what are you doing here? And why didn’t anyone inform me you were released from the hospital? Shouldn’t you at least be home resting?”

And there was that overprotective streak Riza found could be both endearing and annoying. She sighed.

“I’m fine, sir. I still have to wear bandages, but I’m not going to keel over just from attending a party. Grumman thought it would be amusing to surprise you and I had to go along with it…”

She refrained from telling him that she had actually liked Grumman’s plan to surprise Roy with her presence and had been a little excited to see his reaction to her in the new dress she picked out with Rebecca’s help the day before. His initial reaction did not disappoint, but of course he had to go and ruin the moment with his fretting over her wellbeing when she was obviously well enough if she was standing there.

Roy gave her a look she understood as his way of asking if she was sure. She stared back at him defiantly.

“I’m fine,” she reiterated. 

Roy nodded, seeming to finally accept her words, but she could still see the worry lined in his features so sent him a stern look in an attempt to end the matter. 

Roy sighed then looked around as a slow waltz began to play. He turned his eyes back to her and extended his hand, a small smile on his lips.

“Would you like to dance?”

Riza returned Roy’s smile, placing her hand in his.

“Just this once, sir,” she said, eyeing the other officers in attendance warily. 

“It’s just a dance,” Roy offered quietly, knowing she was worried about people spreading rumors about them. “It’s easily written off as a gesture of courtesy toward my subordinate. I’m sure Grumman would have our backs on it too.”

Riza sighed and gave him a look, but didn’t press further as they stepped onto the dance floor. They assumed their slow dancing position, Roy’s hand always ending up lower than it should have on her back, though Riza never said anything about it, and the two of them began gliding across the floor with a grace that could only come from years spent practicing with one another.

“Remember when you were terrible at dancing?” Roy muttered, ignoring the stares and whispers of the other people in the room as he focused on Riza, a grin spreading across his face at the memory of the first time they danced. It had been at Hughes’ wedding and she tripped almost every other step until he told her to just stand on his feet. “I’m glad I decided to give you lessons. They’ve certainly payed off.”

“Hm,” Riza hummed in agreement, fondly remembering when he would sneak to her apartment to teach her. “Knowing how to dance has been useful, I suppose.”

Roy chuckled, pulling her just a bit closer.

“Useful?” Roy asked incredulously. “Everything always has to be related to work in some way with you, doesn’t it? I was certain you enjoyed this.”

The smile on Riza’s face was invisible to everyone but Roy.

“Maybe I do.”

Everyone in the room seemed to disappear as the two of them focused on each other. To anyone else, they appeared to simply be dancing, but their feelings for one another were clearly evident in their eyes. 

Grumman stood watching them from the sweets table, a smirk on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. His plan for the evening seemed to have succeeded and he sipped his champagne thoughtfully as he watched Mustang and Hawkeye dance through far more than just one song.

**Author's Note:**

> Refer to chapter 13 (titled Chapter 12) of my Royai fic Through Eyes of Flame for the scene where Roy and Riza dance at Hughes’ wedding. =)


End file.
